X now lets users hide their blue verification badges

Microblogging website X, formerly Twitter, has now allowed Twitter Blue (now referred to as X Blue) subscribers to hide their blue checkmarks. A few users just recently began to notice the “hide your blue checkmark” option on the platform, both on the web and on smartphones as well. The option can be found on the “profile customisation” page in the account settings menu.

What is the significance of the verification badge?

Blue ticks for long, were used to confirm and inform other users of the identities of users such as eminent politicians, celebrities, journalists, and others to build trust on the platform.

A Twitter support article said that the checkmark will be hidden on one’s profile and posts. However, it may still appear in certain places, with some features associated with the tick still possibly revealing their identity as an active subscriber to the X Blue program.

It also says that certain features may not be available if one opts to keep their blue tick hidden. However, the article seems to be slightly vague and doesn’t exactly mention exactly which features this includes.

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The move comes potentially in light of the fact that, many subscribers of the Twitter Blue program were the subject of memes and jokes online, being seen as paying for special treatment.

X owner and CEO Elon Musk was a vocal critic of the blue tick system and opened up access to the same to Twitter’s entire user base, via a subscription for Rs 900 per month, which gives them access to features such as 280-character tweets, the ability to monetise content, and so on. However, blue ticks are also assigned to those individuals who have over one million followers.

In April 2023, Elon Musk went one step ahead and removed the blue-tick verification from legacy accounts as well.

Twitter re-branding to X

Microblogging platform Twitter is currently undergoing a rebranding to ‘X’. The logo and UI of the same have been changed on the web and on smartphones starting July 24. The iconic blue bird logo was recently replaced with an ‘X’ logo, which Musk also says is interim in nature.